Join Our Community  |  Login
Who We Are
Our Mission Our Team Our Credentialed Facilitators Our History Systems Snapshot Q&A
What We Offer
Professional Learning & Education Knowledge Management & Think Tank Consulting & Organizational Development
Why Systems Thinking?
Benefits Impact Stories from the Field Waters Center Blog
Blog Contact Donate Store

We build people’s capacity to apply systems thinking Habits, tools, and concepts to navigate complexity and create meaningful change.

Interested in learning more about systems thinking and the Waters Center's services?

Schedule a 15-minute inquiry call with a Waters Center staff member

How Can Systems Thinking Help You?

Explore Our Services

Hover or tap on a focus area below to learn how systems thinking and the Waters Center can bring benefit to your system.

By integrating systems thinking into healthcare systems, organizations we work with enhance patient outcomes through improved coordination of care, driven by cross-disciplinary collaboration. They also strengthen their ability to address root causes, such as social determinants of health. In medical education, systems thinking has shaped curricula, with our resources appearing in multiple textbooks.
Learn More
Teachers who integrate systems thinking into their classrooms notice that students gain agency in their learning and relationships. The Habits and tools equip students with a framework for critical thinking , effective communication methods, and a deeper sense of belonging, empowering them to recognize their role within the school community.
Learn More
School buildings and systems become more efficient, adaptable, and, most importantly, improve student achievement when leaders apply systems thinking to structure organizations and guide decisions. By fostering alignment across district functions and recognizing interdependencies, leaders create more cohesive strategies, streamline operations, and cultivate environments where both students and educators thrive.
Learn More
Systems thinking capacity building has supported administration and academic departments in strategic efforts to serve students and their communities. Universities in the United States and internationally have sought our support for curriculum design and delivery. We have supplied resources and materials for existing courses, provided course design services, and members of our staff have served as guest lecturers and adjunct instructors.
Learn More
Systems thinking in higher education administration strengthens connections between academic and business units, promoting collaboration and alignment. This reduces redundancy, improves efficiency, and helps institutions navigate challenges. By recognizing interdependencies, leaders can streamline operations while staying focused on student success, ensuring resilience and long-term sustainability.
Learn More
We work with leading early childhood (EC) organizations; state Departments of Education; large foundations; and nonprofit organizations to promote the belief that all young children deserve high quality care and education.
Learn More
The Habits and tools of systems thinking provide adults with a myriad of ways to help children with problem-solving and decision making, both inside and outside of the classroom. Our Habits and tools foster executive functioning and help children find their place in the world.
Learn More
Systems thinking empowers nonprofits to stay mission-driven while adapting to stakeholder needs and evolving challenges. By recognizing interconnections within their ecosystem, organizations enhance decision-making, foster continuous learning, and refine their strategies. This approach shifts the focus from addressing symptoms to driving systemic change, creating lasting impact and meaningful community transformation.
Learn More
Governments at all levels benefit from systems thinking by recognizing interdependencies, improving cross-agency collaboration, and optimizing resources. This approach uncovers root causes rather than just symptoms and ensures decisions account for long-term, short-term, and unintended consequences. By fostering resilience and equity, systems thinking helps leaders create more effective and sustainable policies.
Learn More
Corporations that adopt systems thinking improve cross-functional collaboration, drive development, and optimize talent growth. By recognizing interdependencies, leaders identify synergies that boost efficiency, innovation, and alignment. This approach helps businesses adapt to market shifts, streamline decision-making, and foster a culture of continuous learning, ensuring long-term resilience and a competitive edge.
Learn More
Systems thinking capacity building strengthens strategic planning, enhances grant-making, improves stakeholder engagement, and refines evaluation for collective impact organizations. It fosters deeper relationships among partners by recognizing interdependencies, aligning efforts, and building trust. Successful collective impact relies on systemic alignment, and systems thinking provides the tools to drive collaboration, meaningful change, and amplify long-term community impact.
Learn More
In a complex and rapidly changing environment, systems thinking helps businesses identify root causes, uncover interdependencies, and develop adaptive strategies to plan strategically. This approach strengthens decision-making, enhances operational efficiency, and enables businesses to align efforts for sustainable growth. By applying systems thinking, small businesses can navigate challenges more effectively and position themselves for long-term success.
Learn More

Healthcare

PreK-12 Ed

PreK-12 Admin

Higher Ed Academic

Higher Ed Admin

Early Childhood

Parenthood

Non-Profits

Government

Corporations

Collective Impact Orgs

Small Business

Our Approach

With thirty years of experience, our approach combines proven adult learning methodologies with practical applications of systems thinking. Our collaborative work with a diverse range of clients and partners, including schools, businesses, government agencies, and communities around the world, has given us an innovative set of strategies to produce desired results. Guided by the ethic of an educator, our approach is rooted in the following key components:

Relationship Building

Building strong relationships with our community of learners, partners and clients is crucial for gaining a deeper understanding of systems and unique organizational contexts. This collaborative approach is essential in designing effective capacity-building that is relevant and tailored to specific needs.

Capacity Building for the Long Term

Our organization focuses on developing long-term systems thinking capacity. We equip clients with relevant skills to apply systems thinking in their unique contexts, fostering sustainable changes in their practices and improving their professional environments for long-term success.

Facilitation & Coaching

As collaborative partners, we provide support through expert facilitation, practical applications, and continuous adaptation of learning strategies to help you meet your desired outcomes.

Educational Framework

Our approach leverages our foundation as educators to implement evidence-based methods and multimodal skill and capacity development strategies.

Habits of a Systems Thinker™

The Habits of a Systems Thinker make up the foundation of the Waters Center approach. Each Habit describes ways of thinking about how systems work and how actions taken can impact results seen over time. Together, all 14 Habits encompass a spectrum of strategies that foster problem-solving and thoughtful reflection about systems of interest. They’re called “habits” for a reason — systems thinkers refer to the Habits often and make an intentional effort to integrate them into daily life.
View Digital Flip Cards on TTS Download Habits One-Pager Purchase Habits Card Set

Try Our Self-Guided Learning Platform

The Thinking Tools Studio is a place to learn and apply the fundamentals of systems thinking in your own time and at your own pace, free of charge. The Studio features courses, resources and more — suitable for new learners, seasoned practitioners and everyone in between.
Visit the Studio